


Doris and the Encounter

by Vinnocent



Series: Slugs [3]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Abandonment, Absent Parents, Amnesia, Bad Parenting, Blind Character, Drinking, Gen, Neglect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-20
Updated: 2012-11-20
Packaged: 2017-11-19 03:57:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/568822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinnocent/pseuds/Vinnocent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Doris never asked to be responsible for someone else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doris and the Encounter

My name is Doris Chlebek. I live in Benicia, California, sort of on the cusp of Vallejo. The son of my sister lived with me, but he has disappeared, and I don't like the way people are looking at me over that. Like I sent him away. Like I've got his body in the basement or something.

I don't know what they expect me to do.

I'm not his mom. I never tried to be. I was twenty-three years old when my sister was maimed in a car crash. I had nothing to do with that. I was nowhere near there. I've never wished ill on her. How she wants to live her life is her business.

But she didn't remember ever having her having a son. She needed physical therapy. She needed to learn to live in a world without vision.

The first person they turned to was me. We had an older brother. Other family. But I had a uterus. Asking them was "asking a lot." I was a kid. I'd barely started drinking. I'd only voted once. I'd just finished school. Just a got my entry position at a new job. But I was the one most fit?

I made pawned the brat off on Douglas. After all, it was only temporary.

But it wasn't. She refused to believe her own capability. That people raised families with less every day. That this _was_ her family.

Eight years later, Doug didn't come get him after the summer was up. He claimed that I was always supposed to have Tobias. At my age, I should be settling down. If I wanted a family, I would have made my own. I didn't need Loren's mistakes! But family won't have it. It's my turn.

So I enrolled him, almost missing the deadline because I wasn't given any warning about this intention. I borrowed clothes for him. He's a kid; he's only gonna grow out of them anyway. The only time I get raises is before the wage goes up. I need to feed this kid. I need to buy his stupid school supplies and any books he can't borrow from the library.

I wasn't sure if I could make my loan payments with a kid, but Douglas told me not to whine, that people did it all the time. What does he know?

The kid started sneaking out. I guess he needed something to do. He didn't look like he was on drugs. His friends looked nice. My purse was untouched. So, I didn't say anything about it. Apparently that's the worst thing ever. I'm supposed to know that? He's not mine! I'm not a mom! I'm keeping him alive and not dumb, and that counts for something, right?

Okay.

Okay, I fucked up. I guess. I guess I shouldn't have lost that card. The Shearing or whatever. Some church group. I just...

I never liked asking for help.

Yeah, I know I'm dumb. I don't know why anyone would think I was capable of taking care of anyone else.

So he's missing, and his principal or whatever is asking me questions. I don't have any answers. He has a look that's not like the look the other people have given me. I don't know what it means.

He went out again. And I went to bed. And I woke up. And I'd been drinking, I guess. I hadn't set the alarm. So when he wasn't there, I assumed he was in school. I had to get to work before I was late. I didn't think about it. And I didn't get home until late. And when I did, he still wasn't there, but he was probably out with friends again. When he wasn't there the next morning, I realized something was wrong. And I couldn't explain to police why it had taken me so long to tell them he was gone, and they've never stopped looking at me.

No one has stopped looking at me.

I'd take it back if I could.

If I knew how to be good...

He hands me a card and says something meaningless. I don't show him out. The doors behind him. He's not going to get lost.

After he leaves, I pour myself a drink. When I return to the living room, I pick up the card The Sharing. "We can change your life." I sigh and collapse in front of a television that doesn't work. "Get him back. Then, we'll talk about me."

When I wake up, I can't stay in the house anymore. It's full of my failure. I have to own up. If I take responsibility, it'll make things better. That's what everyone always says.

So I drive to her place. Her dog blocks the door. You can have a dog but not a kid. Okay. "Move, Champ."

"Hi, Doris," Loren calls from inside. There's some other noise with her.

"What are you listening to?"

"My stories, but right now, this commercial. It's great. They've got a bird trying to free another bird and now there's an elephant."

I roll my eyes. "The things they come up with these days." I shut the door behind me, making sure the dog stays inside. "Loren, I gotta talk to you about something."

"What's that?"

I stand in the doorway and watch her smile at the screen. She smiles a lot. I've lost the ability to tell if it's fake. "I've not seen Tobias."

"Well, he's with Douglas."

"No, Loren. He's with me. He's been with me for months. But he disappeared a bit back, and he's not come home."

"Have you asked Douglas?"

"On the other coast?" I sigh. "I'll suggest it to the police, but they're pretty convinced I killed him."

"You didn't kill him, Doris."

"You've seen him?"

"I've never seen him, Doris, but you don't kill people."

"No. No, I don't. Do you mind telling the police that?"

She nodded, turning the television down as the commercial ended. "I'll call them tomorrow for you. Give them anything that can help."

"Okay. I just... I thought I should tell you." I turn to leave.

"He'll come around. Children do."

"They don't, Loren," I snap. "Life's not like your stories. No one's getting fixed here."

She just smiles at me. "You should drink less."

"No shit, Sherlock."

**Author's Note:**

> Just because Doris says nice things doesn't mean the asshole things she says aren't written to be assholish. She's a human. It's kind of the point.


End file.
